This week, the Tigers play at Booneville (7-0, 4-0) in a game that could put them in a tie for first place and secure them a playoff spot with a victory.

“We’d love to just get that monkey off our back and get a playoff spot,” Selph said. “But with Booneville, that team is so talented. Ideally, we want to stop the run and defend the pass, but that’ll be difficult. For us, we have to get our running game going to have a chance.”

Lions Keep On Winning

GRAVETTE — Throughout everything, Gravette has continued to do this season what it’s become accustomed to in recent years.

Win.

The Lions, after winning 19 games over the past two seasons, defeated Farmington last week to improve to 7-0 overall, 4-0 in the 4A-1 Conference. Next up comes the game that has served as a barometer in each of the past two seasons — No. 1 Shiloh Christian.

The Saints (6-1, 4-0) have defeated Gravette by identical 49-14 scores in each of the past two seasons.

“We’ve got to play our best game to have a chance to be part of the game,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “We’re going to have to play our best game.

“We can’t have missed tackles, we can’t have dropped footballs, let alone anything.”

The Lions suffered from nine fumbles against Farmington last week, bringing their total over the past two games to 14. Fortunately against the Cardinals, Gravette only lost one of the fumbles. Harrelson said there will be no room for such mistakes against Shiloh.

“We’ll have to play the perfect game, but like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever say this team amazes me anymore,” Harrelson said.

“We’ll see what happens.”

— KURT VOIGT

Cardinals Look To Bounce Back

FARMINGTON — The Cardinals appeared to be on track against Gravette last week.

Farmington (4-2-1, 3-1) led the Lions 13-7 at halftime, having outgained Gravette 109-31 in total yardage. The Cardinals even forced 9 fumbles by the Lions in the game, thanks in large part to the play of nose guard J.J. Clay, but they only recovered one.

“(Clay) pressured that center all night long,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “It’s really frustrating when you have opportunities and don’t cash in on them.”

Despite the early success, as well as the continued strong running of sophomore Jared Martin (111 yards on 26 carries), Gravette rallied in the second half for the win. Next up for Farmington is a key game against a much-improved Huntsville (3-4, 2-2).

“We’ll bounce back,” Adams said. “These kids work hard. They’ll learn from (the Gravette loss) hopefully.”

— KURT VOIGT

Shiloh Dealing With Injuries

SPRINGDALE — Heading into the biggest game of the regular season, the Shiloh Christian Saints could be without two key players Friday when they host unbeaten Gravette at Champions Stadium.

Two-way lineman Samuel Harvil is questionable for the game with a knee injury, said Saints coach Josh Floyd on Tuesday. Floyd said Harvill was injured in the Prairie Grove game two weeks ago and did not practice Tuesday.

“We’re not 100 percent sure if we’ll have Sam or not,” Floyd said. “It’s a knee issue.”

The Saints could also be without running back Garrett Harper, who has been battling injuries for most of the season.

“He hurt his elbow against Gentry,” Floyd said. “He’s probably doubtful for Friday night.”

— CHIP SOUZA

On Farmington’s second play following the touchdown, Gravette’s Nick Hendren intercepted a Chance Hyslip pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown and a 27-13 Lions lead with 3:53 remaining.

“There’s a reason they’re 7-0,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said of Gravette. “They’re pretty dang good.

“We had our chances and didn’t get it done, and they did.”

The Cardinals (4-2, 3-1) outgained Gravette 109 yards to 31 in the first half, led by big plays on defense. The Lions aided in Farmington’s cause, fumbling the ball nine times in the game but only losing one.

“We had to tackle,” Adams said. “In the first three quarters, we tackled and in the last one, we didn’t.

“We had a good plan against them, and for three quarters we executed it and in the fourth quarter, we didn’t.”

Sophomore Jared Martin rushed for 111 yards on 26 carries to lead the Cardinals.

Gravette travels to Shiloh Christian next week, while Farmington hosts Huntsville.

GRAVETTE 27, FARMINGTON 13

Farmington    0    13    0    0
Gravette    6    0    7    14
First Quarter
Grav — O’Brien 54 pass from Moorman (kick failed), 3:42
Second Quarter
Farm — Clay 2 pass from Hyslip (Magana kick), 7:31
Farm — Martin 7 pass from Hyslip (kick failed), 4:24
Third Quarter
Grav — Eden 27 pass from Moorman (Montee kick), 1:57
Fourth Quarter
Grav — Moorman 2 run (Montee kick), 4:32
Grav — Hendren 27 interception return (Montee kick), 3:53

Farm    Grav
First Downs    14    10
Rushes-Yards    42-103    33-50
Passing Yards    126    157
Comp-Att-Int    11-24-2    6-9-0
Punts    4-26    4-34
Fumbles-Lost    4-1    9-1
Penalties-Yards    6-30    6-45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Farmington, Martin 26-111, Clay 6-26, Boudrey 1-(minus 7), Hyslip 9-(minus 27). Gravette, Strzelecki 2-30, Croasdell 10-28, Moorman 16-27, Greenhaw 1-0, Eden 2-(minus 1), TEAM 2-(minus 34).
PASSING—Farmington, Hyslip 11-24-2-126. Gravette, Moorman 6-9-0-157.
RECEIVING—Farmington, Clay 4-52, Edwards 1-28, Boudrey 3-27, Martin 2-16, Ryan 1-5. Gravette, O’Brien 1-54, Eden 3-37, Croasdell 1-36, Hendren 1-30.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

Perhaps the biggest factor in tonight’s game is the winner will have four conference wins, which is enough to secure a playoff spot. Both coaches said their players have kept that in mind this week during practices.

“The game is so important for so many reasons, but the fact that the winner will get to four wins, that’s huge,” Adams said. “It’s certainly a motivation for all of us. Hopefully, we can play well enough to limit what Gravette does and come away with a win.”

Adams said he’s hoping senior quarterback Chance Hyslip, who has passed for 431 yards and four touchdowns, can continue keeping Farmington’s offense effective on every possession.

Running backs Jared Martin and Deon Clay have also combined for 776 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

“This game is always a battle, it’s just always been that way,” Harrellson said. “We’re expecting Farmington’s best shot, we’ve been preparing for that all week.”

FARMINGTON — The Farmington Cardinals lost two key players to injuries Friday night, something coach Mike Adams said could greatly affect his team’s season.

Senior defensive end Ryan Waits and senior linebacker Andrew Palmer collided with each other last week against Berryville while both players were chasing Berryville quarterback Jeremy Wilson.

Both Waits and Palmer, who lay motionless on the field before paramedics arrived, were sent to the hospital for further examination. The situation caused the game to be delayed for more than 30 minutes.

Adams said Palmer suffered a severe neck strain while Waits potentially fractured his lumbar vertebrae. Palmer may not return for another week or two while Waits’ season is over, Adams said.

“It’s tough, but we’re just glad — at this point — that nothing worse happened to either one of those guys,” Adams said. “It could have been a lot worse, so right now, we’re thankful they’re both feeling somewhat better.”

Adams said Waits, who’s been recovering at home and still feeling extremely sore from the collision, would meet with a doctor sometime soon to determine whether or not surgery would be needed.

“The tough part is that’s football, that’s part of the game,” Adams said. “You hate it for those guys, especially because they’re seniors. That’s the tough reality of this sport, that things like this sometimes happen.”

Farmington (4-1, 3-0 4A-1 Conference) also lost junior offensive/defensive lineman and deep snapper Tanner Pettigrew two weeks ago to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

“When injuries happen, seems like they always come in bunches,” Adams said. “It’s never easy to watch players get seriously injured. The tough thing is those guys are all big-time playmakers for us, and not having them in upcoming games is going to really hurt us. Our younger guys are just going to have to step up.”

Replacing Palmer will be junior Greg Reynaga while Waits will be replaced by senior Brantley Johnson and “two or three other guys,” Adams said.

The Shiloh Christian golf team took third in the Class 4A State Tournament on Wednesday at the DeGray State Park golf course in Bismarck.

Fordyce won the team title with a 243 by one stroke over Malvern and three strokes over Shiloh. Farmington was sixth and Gentry was eighth.

Farmington’s Jason Purdy was the top local individual, tying for fourth with a 7-over-par 79.

FARMINGTON — With the game on the line last Friday against Prairie Grove, the Farmington defense made the biggest play of the game to preserve a 19-18 win in the annual Battle of Highway 62.

Trailing 19-18 on Thomas Soehner’s 14-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds left, the Tigers went for two points and the win, but Dalton Phillips was stopped just short of the end zone.

But really the Cardinals defense might have made a bigger stop in the third quarter when it held the Tigers out of the end zone on four straight plays from just inside the 10.

Prairie Grove (1-4, 1-1 4A-1 Conference) had marched from its own 25-yard line to the Farmington 9 in 10 plays, getting a first down on Soehner’s 17-yard run. But the Cardinals twice held Soehner to no gain, forced an incompletion and tackled Phillips at the 5 on a pass reception to stop the drive.

Farmington (3-1-1, 2-0) then marched 95 yards in 15 plays to take a 19-6 lead that ultimately held up.

“That was the key to the game, I think,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “(Prairie Grove) had a lot of momentum coming out of halftime. We stopped them down there on fourth down, then we drove 95 yards to score. ”

The win was huge for Farmington in terms of possible playoff scenarios down the line, Adams said.

“You win those home conference games and you have a great chance to get yourself set up for playoff position,” Adams said. “This is a big win for us. Prairie Grove is a real good football team. I know they are 1-4, but they are going to beat a lot of people in our league.”

Farmington travels to Berryville on Friday, while Prairie Grove hosts Shiloh Christian.

The Tigers executed a perfect onside kick with Skylar Ellis recovering at the Farmington 49 and Prairie Grove marched in for the score behind Phillips and the workhorse Soehner (37 carries, 203 yards). Facing fourth and 4 at the 14, the Tigers turned to Soehner and the 6-foot-2, 203-pound senior delivered with a 14-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left.

After a Farmington timeout, the Tigers gave it to Phillips, who came within an eyelash of punching in the winning conversion as Andrew Palmer led the surge.

“You can put it on me,” Abshier said. “What’s the smart thing to do in football? You kick the one, get the tie and go for overtime. But we decided we wanted to go for the win.”

Farmington’s running game was equally impressive with the sophomore tandem of Jared Martin and Clay combining for 157 yards, with Martin getting 120 on 22 carries. Clay also scored on a 66-yard pass from Chance Hyslip on Farmington’s first possession.

“We had a chance to put them away there at the end,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “We just didn’t execute. It wasn’t pretty there at the end, but we did just enough.”

FARMINGTON 19, PRAIRIE GROVE 18

Prairie Grove    6    0    0    12    —    18
Farmington    7    6    0    6    —    19
First Quarter
Farm — Clay 66 pass from Hyslip (Ryan kick), 9:52
Prair — Soehner 1 run (run failed), 3:42
Second Quarter
Farm — Hyslip 31 run (kick failed), 4:40
Fourth Quarter
Farm — Clay 5 run (run failed), 10:35
Prair — Phillips 15 pass from Austin (run failed), 2:38
Prair — Soehner 14 run (run failed), :50

Prair    Farm
First Downs    19    14
Rushes-yards    59-284    39-200
Passing yards    87    92
Comp-Att-Int    7-16-0    3-6-0
Punts    0-0    0-0
Fumbles-lost    0-0    2-1
Pentalies-yards    5-55    1-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Prairie Grove, Soehner 37-203, Phillips 14-71, Austin 3-9, Olivas 1-1, Sugg 3-0, Schrock 1-0. Farmington, Martin 22-120, Hyslip 10-43, Clay 7-37.
PASSING—Prairie Grove, Austin 7-16-0-87. Farmington, Hyslip 3-6-0-92.
RECEIVING—Prairie Grove, Phillips 3-28, Sugg 1-20, Stills 1-19, Bond 1-17, Soehner 1-3. Farmington, Clay 2-85, Edwards 1-7.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

“We feel really good about our running back situation,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “We have quality depth there. We have different backs who are talented in their own way.”

Prairie Grove must prepare to stop a trio of backs who can score at any time — senior tailback Josh Barnett, sophomore tailback Jared Martin and sophomore fullback Deon Clay.

The three backs have combined for 615 yards on 104 carries, but Abshier isn’t only worried about them carrying the football.

“We’ve got to contain their loaded backfield,” Abshier said. “That’s the biggest thing we have to do, other than cut down on penalties. They turn those backfield guys into receivers, and that can be hard to deal with.”

Farmington’s defense will be concerned with only one running back, contrarily, but senior Thomas Soehner has nearly matched the Cardinals trio’s rushing totals. Soehner, after rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, has 610 yards and seven scores this season.

Abshier said Soehner has steadily progressed after his team’s slow start, increasing his rushing output in each of Prairie Grove’s games. He has rushed for 84, 128, 176 and 252 yards in the Tigers’ four games this season.

“We’re really starting to get used to each other on offense,” Abshier said. “The offensive line has stepped it up a little bit, and Thomas has gotten better at finding spots.”

The Tigers’ recent running success has Abshier optimistic that Prairie Grove can win tonight’s always-heated rivalry game.

“It’s a big, big game, obviously, since everyone knows everyone,” Abshier said. “It’s been a pretty even series lately, too, and we got them last year, so we’d like to do that again.”

SPRINGDALE — Following last week’s lopsided 27-6 loss against Farmington, Gentry coach Brian Little told his players to simply let it go. As tough as it was, Little said the Pioneers had no other choice but to look ahead to their next opponent (Gravette) and start preparing like it was the first week of the season.

“It’s tough, but you can’t afford to look behind in this league, especially after a tough loss,” Little said. “No matter what, you have to keep looking forward, or before you know it, you’ll just find yourself in a worse situation.”

At 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the 4A-1 Conference, it’s still relatively early in the season. However, Little said Gentry is already facing a must-win this week against Gravette because the schedule doesn’t get any easier.

And the Pioneers certainly aren’t alone.

Out of the four teams (Gentry, Berryville, Huntsville and Pea Ridge) that started the conference season with a loss, all of them have only one win in four games this season, making the sense of urgency a growing concern.

“I know there are a lot of teams that need wins this week, there’s no question,” Little said. “Starting the conference season off with a loss isn’t easy, but teams have to get that win as soon as possible, because it builds confidence, it gets the wheels going in motion and really helps for situations down the road.”

To make things more interesting, this week is also rivalry week for teams in the 4A-1, with Farmington hosting Prairie Grove and Gentry hosting Gravette; Huntsville is also hosting Berryville in a pseudo-rivalry game of Madison County vs. Carroll County.

Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier said the rivalry aspect of this week can sometimes change team’s approach to the games.

“People can easily focus on negative stuff away from the game, whether it’s rumors that get started or whatever,” said Abshier, whose Tigers are coming off a 49-30 victory against Huntsville, their first victory of the season. “But that’s not smart to do. Like I tell my kids, we keep our mouths shut and we go out and take care of what we need to take care of in order to try and win the game.”

Friday’s Games In 4A-1 Conference

Berryville at Huntsville
Prairie Grove at Farmington
Gravette at Gentry
Shiloh Christian at Pea Ridge

Greenland 21, Lincoln 0

LINCOLN — Adrian Rojas returned an interception for a touchdown and scored again on a short run to lead Greenland past Lincoln in 3A-1 Conference play Friday.

After a scoreless first half, the Pirates scored with 5:36 left in the third quarter when Justin Bramall caught 13-yard touchdown pass. Rojas’ PAT was good to put the Pirates up 7-0.

The Pirates (2-2, 1-0) scored again when Rojas intercepted a Lincoln pass and returned it 75 yards to score with 6:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. He added the PAT to make it 14-0.

Rojas added a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Lincoln (1-3, 0-1) travels to Elkins next week.

Pottsville 35, West Fork 7

POTTSVILLE — Tyler Robertson ran for three touchdowns as Pottsville rolled past previously undefeated West Fork in the 4A-4 Conference opener for both teams.

Robertson’s 15-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left in the first quarter gave the Apaches (3-1, 1-0) a lead they never relinquished. The fullback then put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, scoring on runs of 2 and 55 yards in a 72-second span.

Pottsville’s other scoring came in the second quarter on a 32-yard run by Jay Wright and a 41-yard burst by Ty Earls off a fake punt. West Fork (3-1, 0-1) scored in the third quarter on Landon Hutchens’ 72-yard touchdown run, with Griff Smith adding the extra point.

West Fork returns to conference action next week at home against Dover, while Pottsville travels to Dardanelle.

Greenbrier 42, Siloam Springs 24

Greenbrier scored three touchdowns off Siloam Springs turnovers to claim the 5A-West Conference opener for both teams Friday.

Greenbrier led 28-7 at halftime, but Siloam (3-1, 0-1) cut the lead to 28-24 late in the third quarter.

Siloam quarterback Bryan Adair scored on an 8-yard run and also threw at 40-yard touchdown pass to Greg Frabotta to pull his team within three. Those touchdowns were sandwiched around a Pablo Castillo 22-yard field goal.

Greenbrier answered for a 35-24 lead, then intercepted an Adair pass and returned it for a touchdown to set the final score.

Siloam took the opening kickoff and drove to the Greenbrier 5, but fumbled a pitch and Greenbrier scooped it up and returned it for a score. Siloam then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which led to another Greenbrier touchdown.

Farmington 27, Gentry 6

Jared Martin ran for two touchdowns to help Farmington open 4A-1 Conference play with a victory on Friday.

Martin scored on a 2-yard run and also added a 39-yard touchdown run with under two minutes left in the game. Farmington (2-1-1, 1-0) rushed for 315 yards.

The Cardinals led 15-0 at halftime.

Gentry (1-3, 0-1) scored on a 30-yard pass from Caleb Ramsey to Justin Stewart in the third quarter.

Prairie Grove 49, Huntsville 30

PRAIRIE GROVE — Thomas Soehner rushed for 251 yards on 23 carries with five touchdowns to lead the Tigers to their first win of the season over 4A-1 Conference foe Huntsville ib Friday night.

Soehner’s 251 yards accounted for the bulk of Prairie Grove’s offense as the Tigers passed only one time for 7 yards. Phillip Hoskins led the way for Huntsville, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Prairie Grove (1-3, 1-0 4A-1 Conference) plays at Farmington, while Huntsville (1-3, 0-1 4A-1 Conference) hosts Berryville next week.

Mount Vernon 28, McDonald County 12

Mount Vernon turned a 7-6 second quarter lead into a 21-6 halftime advantage by scoring two touchdowns in 21 seconds late in the second quarter to key the Mountaineers’ 28-12 win over McDonald County on Friday night.

Mount Vernon quarterback Corey Phillips was instrumental in all three of Mount Vernon’s first-half scores, including a 35-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left in the half and 32-yard run with 16 second remaining.

McDonald County (0-5) scored first to take an early 6-0 lead, taking the opening kickoff and marching 68 yards in 13 plays. Cameron Farmer hit Nelson Boyd from 6 yards out to cap the drive.

The teams traded touchdowns in the second half. Mount Vernon stretched the lead to 28-6 on Hunter Brown’s 15yard run before Farmer scored on a 1-yard run.

Farmer finished 13 of 27 passing for 103 yards and a touchdown. Boyd totaled 53 yards on 15 carries.

McDonald County is at Seneca next week.